Good. Better. Best.

I don’t know how I feel about ‘best self’. To me it feels
finite. I started thinking about my ‘better self’ a few years ago. I thought I
could be a bit better each day and therefore allow for growth. I thought if I said
I was working on my best self that I was truly defining that and that would box
me in.

Sometimes when I’m reading through emails or articles, I get
sparked, which leads me to pull things apart.

I like to use the example of an onion often because onions
have layers, insert further Shrek joke… cakes also have layers, but they’re
just different.

I subscribe to The Mighty for a few reasons and at the core
of it all, it’s to feel less alone. We all have our problems, but what I find
interesting is how we share our stories and the process that someone goes
through as they find success and failure in their strategies.

The other day I got an email about doing the best you can
and “your best” looks different.

I’ve said this phrase to many clients and I’ve had it told to
me as well – “you’re doing the best you can”…I usually attach on “in this
moment”, “this week”, “this time”. I think it can be important to segment out
the best and put it into context so we can really determine if this best is
better than other bests and how we can grow to be a different best at a later
date.

In the context of The Mighty, I never thought about the best
thoroughly in this way. While I felt being the best would box me in permanently,
I never thought about being boxed in for a moment – to have clarity and
determine how the context impacts the term best.

Sometimes my best looks very organized. It’s a level of
control that I enjoy, while also feeling like there’s a bit of flexibility because
I can see my free time in my calendar. If everything goes according to plan,
which we know it doesn’t always, I know I can rely on that free time being
there.

Sometimes my best means I got out of bed and showered
regardless if I had plans to talk to anyone or leave the house that day. It also
can mean that I pulled out some real clothes
and changed instead of wearing sweat pants and a hoodie all day.

My best self usually doesn’t wear makeup, but feels like a rock
star when the lipstick gets throw it on.

I work to be better each
day, and hopefully that leads to being my best self up to that moment.

Being better today means there’s a bit more consistency and finding bits of calm every day so I don’t have a racing mind or heart.